After getting a
question from a listener about how to get their spouse to play
games, it got us thinking. There are a whole lot of people out
there who don’t consider themselves gamers. But almost everyone
plays games thanks to smartphones.

So why don’t they identify as
gamers? Is it because they were never introduced to them? Is is a
negative cultural stereotype?

One of the biggest hurdles is
simply the controller. The number of buttons and the layout
are super intimidating. Our suggestion is to introduce people to
smartphone games because the interface is something almost everyone
is used to already. Mobile games get around the controller
issue.

Find a gameplay mechanic or IP
that interests you or the person who you want to introduce to
gaming. Do they love Star Wars? Then maybe Star Wars: Angry Birds
is the way to go. Do they like puzzle games? Try Two Dots or Candy
Crush (seriously!). Do you enjoy strategic thinking? Well, Hero
Academy and Bloon Tower Defense are perfect.

One
of our highest recommendations, however, is to try to introduce
people to gaming using narrative games. Even if they’re not playing
and just watching, they can see what games are capable of. Anything
by Telltale games would be wonderful to start with, as would
Firewatch, Bioshock, or The Last of Us. Even open-world games like
GTA can help people see the immersion possible in video
games.

The
one thing we get asked a lot is “How do I get my spouse to play
games?” Our answer might surprise you. “Maybe you don’t?” Having
separate hobbies can be a good thing, and if you can talk and
listen about what each of you loves, it’s okay that your spouse
isn’t a gamer.

Void’s wife is a hardcore knitter, and he has
maybe done 10 stitches in his life. But he still cares, listens,
and understands when she talks about what she loves. While he isn’t
going to be using the awesome new yarn or pattern, he can
appreciate that it means something for her. The same goes for
Beej’s wife. She is a woodworker, and while Beej wouldn’t trust
himself anywhere near a tablesaw, he loves seeing the excitement on
his wife’s face when she finds a new kind of wood with a
particularly beautiful grain.

Not
everyone has to love the same stuff, but we should be respectful of
other people’s interests.

However, we do There are good on-ramp games
like80 Dayson iOS/Android/PC and pretty much anyMario Kart game ever. If you want to give gaming a shot to see what
modern gaming can do, we don’t think you can go wrong with those
titles.

Be sure to subscribe to the Geek
to Geek Podcast your favorite podcast app,drop a reviewso we know how we’re doing, and
feel free contact us via email atgeektogeekcast@gmail.comor@geektogeekcaston Twitter with any comments, questions, or
suggestions for the show. Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait
to hear from you!

About the Podcast

Being an adult is hard. So is being a geek. And an adult geek? Well, that's where we come in.
We're Beej and Void, and we've got more than a little experience in that area. We are life-long geeks and have managed to bring our geekery with us into adulthood and still be somewhat functional adults--you know, with families and jobs and that sort of thing.
We don't do toxic, and we don't do nerdrage. Our views on geekdom are positive and optimistic, and we believe that the most important part of being a geek is the people you get to geek out with.
Tightly focused discussions on specific topics drive the show. Striving to illustrate that it is entirely possible to be mega-geeks and responsible adults, we want to be your friend and create and open and positive geek community for everyone.
We started this podcast because we really want there to be a safe, welcoming, positive geek community for everyone. We want to talk about stuff we love, make friends, and most importantly, make sure that everyone feels appreciated and that there's a place for them. So whether your love is video games, comic books, movies, TV, fitness, computers and tech, or whatever else...come geek out with us. Let's be friends.